The app world being a fairly new concept to our existence has not only shaken the way we do business, spend our time and challenge one another – it has now exceeded the concept of a ‘marketplace’ altogether.

From what began as a platform for users and programmers to share great ideas, manipulating the constraints of what one smartphone could do, the competitive nature of app creating has now burst through the roof.

With every right it should.

Proving to be a more lucrative business than it actually initially appeared, the app marketplace is anything but cute and cuddly from what you might expect judging from its simple interface and endearing designs.

It now acts as a stage for the biggest talent show on Earth – with people showcasing their genius and ability to create products far more addictive than any Mexican drug-lord ever could.

With the prize being overnight fame, recognition and a bank fund that would make even Scrooge McDuck boil with envy, everybody is having a crack at this app building business.

So in line with this new “Flappy Bird” fiasco taking the news (and our lives) by storm, let’s review the top 4 app success stories to remind ourselves just why our obsessions are worthwhile:

Draw SomethingEssentially being a mobile version of the infamous board game Pictionary, the CEO Dan Porter managed to sell the game to Zynga for $183 million during its viral stage. At the time, it was reportedly generating $250,000 a day as people paid for new colour palettes and other upgrades for their finger art.

SnapchatOfficially the Instagram for the hilarious and dirty-minded, Evan Spiegel was offered $3 billion by Mark Zuckerberg himself but immediately turned it down because he did not want to trade his company for a “short-term gain”. That is what we call integrity!

Candy Crush SagaKnown to cause infuriating obsessive tendencies as well as annoying Facebookinvites, this game has enjoyed worldwide success of epic proportions. This game alone logs over 10 million active users that make for a $633,000 gain everyday, valuing the company in more than $5 billion.

Angry BirdsThe Finnish game development company Rovio, who were responsible for the creation of Angry Birds, in which players simply slingshot birds into pigs has been valued by analysts at $6 to $9 billion. Angry Birds has since expanded to video game consoles, branded merchandise, apparel as well as a full-length film that is to be released in the summer 2016.

The world of human addiction knows no bounds and is definitely not tethered by just the physical world we live in anymore, displaying how much we’ll pay just to get our fix.

These brands have unknowingly but surely ushered us into a new age of entertainment, making app designing the new lottery – where the price of admission is simply one great idea.